Hollywood Horror

ENLISTING REPULSION FRONTMAN SCOTT CARLSON TO FRONT THE NEW INCARNATION OF CHURCH OF MISTERY MAY BE AN INTERESTING TURN UP FOR THE MAN HIMSELF EXPLAINS, THE SUBJECTS MATTER DOESN’T STRAY FROM THE JAPANESE DOOM CREW’S TRADITIONAL PATH

‘And Then There Were None,’ the latest addition to the blood-of-theinnocent-splattered discography of serial killer obsessed doom veterans, Church Of Misery is, as it should be, more of the same. Thickly distorted guitars playing strutting shuffles, bluesy bass line walking, enough tritone abuse to muster ol’ Nick from his slumber, ascending and descending half-step riffs resolving with bends, trilled notes and massive power chord stacks à la vintage Black Sabbath are the elemental features showcased by the Tokyo terrors over the past twenty years and indeed on album number six. Theirs is a notso-wholesome take on the archetypal sounds that kick started this whole heavy metal mess with the added splash of Japanese psychedelic weirdness and tales of homicidal history behind their lyrics. And while ‘And Then There Were None’ continues mixing those leafy green sounds with claret-stained points of discussion, there have been a few alterations made by founding member and bassist Tatsu Mikami, not the least of which is the new album’s rawer, stripped down feel, a quality that vocalist Scott Carlson noticed from the off.

About Terrorizer Magazine

There are certain times in history that will always remain special in your heart throughout your life. People often talk about the first time they have seen a certain band and I am no exception. It’s been a blessing to have had the opportunity to see so many bands in my life and, if pushed, I could recount many. After a number of false starts to actually see Neurosis in a live setting, I remember finally getting the chance to see them for the first time at Dudley JB’s with Today Is The Day (featuring Bill Kelliher and Brann Dailor, who would later form Mastodon) and Voivod (with Eric Forrest). The hall was cavernous, certainly not overly busy in terms of punters, and yet the sonics that blasted through the speakers that night could not have sounded any more apocalyptic. Truly jawdropping and, frankly, life-changing. I know I am not the only one who has experienced similar and for that reason, it is a pleasure to celebrate Neurosis’ 30th anniversary with a cover feature that covers the band’s continuing career. José Carlos Santos has excelled himself as always in producing a fantastic article with Scott Kelly and Steve Von Till and I truly hope you love reading it.
Elsewhere it’s always a pleasure to chat to Karl Willetts from Bolt Thrower and now of his new band Memoriam – please flick to the news pages to read about the new band now! And of course, plenty of other cool-as-fuck bands to read about and enjoy.
See you next month!
Adios
DARREN SADLER